Representing the Paiter Suruí People and Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, Txai Suruí speaks to world le

From Brazil to COP26, Walelasoetxaige talks about the importance and urgency of climate action now and not in 2030 or 2050.

Walelasoetxeige Paiter Bandeira Suruí - Foto: Oli Scarff / AFP

Brazilian indigenous activist said global leaders "turned a blind eye" to climate change as one of the first people to speak on Monday at the summit taking place in Glasgow, Scotland. . She spoke even before the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres.

“I'm 24 years old, but my people have lived in the Amazon for 6,000 years,” he began by reading Walelasoetxeige Paiter Bandeira Suruí, of the Paiter Suruí ethnic group, in English, in front of an audience of more than 120 world leaders.

With a traditional costume and painted face, Paiter Bandeira Suruí claimed the heritage of his ancestors, the ecological wealth of the Amazon and demanded protection for the indigenous leaders who are murdered in defense of their communities.

“Today, the climate is warming up, animals are disappearing, rivers are dying and our plants don't bloom as they used to”, explained the young woman, a law student.

“Earth is talking to us and is saying we don't have any more time. We need another way. Not in 2030, not in 2050, but now”, said the indigenous woman, referring to the main progress goals established by the international community. “We have ideas to postpone the end of the world. Let's end the lies”, she asked.